Macromolecular Structure and Interactions
A detailed knowledge of the synthesis, structure, function and interactions of macromolecules is a necessity for the full understanding of cellular processes. Numerous researchers at the University of Virginia are involved in state-of-the-art research in these areas. Studies include: the mechanisms of polypeptide chain folding; the three-dimensional configuration of proteins; interactions of proteins with other proteins, nucleic acids and phospholipids; relationship between the plasma membrane and the cytoskeleton and extracellular matrix; and structure-function relations and domain structure of enzymes. Each of these studies includes current technology and instrumentation, including x-ray crystallography, multi-dimensional NMR spectrometry, differential scanning microcalorimetry, fluorescence depolarization, scanning and transmission microscopy and atomic-force microscopy, tandem mass spectrometry, Fourier transform infrared spectrometry, affinity labelin; laser-induced protein/nucleic acid cross-linking, immunofluorescence, hybridoma and recombinant DNA technology, and computer simulation.
Faculty in this area:
Bushweller, John H.
Drug Development Targeting Transcription Drivers in Cancer; Structure/Function Studies of Transcription Factor Drivers in Cancer
Caliari, Steven
Engineering dynamic biomaterials to explore the interplay between cells and their microenvironment
Kasson, Peter M.
Physical mechanisms of infectious disease; influenza infection; membrane fusion; antibiotic resistance; molecular dynamics simulation; machine learning.
Minor, Wladek
Structure-Function Relationships in Macromolecules; Infectious Diseases and Drug Discovery; Bioinformatics and Big Data; Scientific Reproducibility
Pornillos, Owen
Structure and assembly of HIV, virus/host interactions, structural biology of the innate immune system
Stukenberg, P. Todd
Mechanisms of chromosome segregation in Mitosis and generation of Chromosomal Instability in tumors
Tamm, Lukas K.
Biomembrane Structure and Function; Cell Entry of Enveloped Viruses; Neurosecretion by Exocytosis; Structure of Bacterial Pathogen Membrane Proteins; Lipid-Protein Interactions
Wiener, Michael C.
Structure/function of integral membrane proteins; structural biophysics; enzymology and virology of ZMPSTE24; sparse-constraint structure determination; technology development
Yeager, Mark
Cardiac Gap Junction Membrane Channels / IntegrinsWater Channels / Rotavirus / Reovirus / Retrovirus
Zimmer, Jochen
Transport of biopolymers across biological membranes with a particular interest in polysaccharide and protein translocation.